The consumption of oil and gas represents about 80 percent of the consumption of fossil fuels in the United States. At the present time, about onehalf of the electric power is generated from natural gas and petroleum. Petroleum resources in this country are being depleted and the United States is dependent on politically unstable and unreliable foreign governments to supply its energy needs. Moreover, the combusion of liquid fuels results in the generation of hydrocarbon pollutants that must be treated before exhaust to the atmosphere. The generation of large amounts of carbon dioxide as a byproduct of the combustion of fossil fuels may cause the so-called greenhouse effect, raising the average temperature in the atmosphere to a level high enough to melt the polar ice caps.
Fuels other than liquid and gaseous hydrocarbons, such as nuclear or hydrogen, are being investigated as are power sources other than internal combustion engines, such as fuel cells, photovoltaic cells or electric storage batteries. However, consumers are accustomed to using liquid fuels and the supply, distribution, power generation and marketing infrastructure are already in place. The demand for liquid hydrocarbon fuels for power generation and transportation is expected to double by the year 2000.
Costs of refining gasoline have increased recently since octane boosters such as tetraethyl lead can no longer be utilized in recent automobiles because lead compounds poison the platinum catalysts used in the pollution control reaction and the emission of lead in the exhaust is believed to be a toxic waste product. Therefore, more refining is necessary to produce the higher octane gasoline. The presence of tetraethyl lead has contributed to longer engine life since the combusion residue remained in the cylinder as a lubricating film which greatly extended the life of engine parts such as valves and rings.